The present invention relates to a novel intermittent continuous method and device for recovering refined activated carbon from waste tyres and the like and, in particular, to a treatment process to for producing effectively by refining activated carbon with a high added value from waste rubbers such as waste tyres, through an intermittent continuous process of treatments without formation of a secondary public nuisance while the oil-gas produced thereby as a by-product being recovered and used as a source for outer heating in the splitting decomposition and activation thus achieving a recovery of resources, and to a device for use in this process.
Owing to the development in public roads and the popularity of cars and motorcycles, the number in the growth of waste tyres of consummable materials has increased greatly and has been a problem for an immediate resolution on environmental protection.
For solving this problem on waste tyres, generally, three methods have been adopted, these are: burial, incineration and pyrolysis. By burial, the waste tyres are discarded and buried as general garbage and are not regenerated. It is therefore a waste of resources and the method will not be discussed here. As according to the incineration method, the waste tyres are pulverized and the weight (volume) is reduced to become fuel for combustion, mainly for use in burning the specially made boiler to recover the thermal energy thereof to warm houses water, etc. However, because such a method is of a direct combustion, the costs in the treatment of secondary public nuisance on removal of smoke, stink, burned ash and separation of steel wire and in the equipment have become another problem. As regards the splitting decomposition (dry distillation), waste tyres are pulverized and then thrown into a sealed splitting decomposition furnace where the pulverized waste tyres are subject to a high temperature heat splitting decomposition and dry distillation and the gases that are produced by decomposition are then cooled, separated and absorbed to obtain the fuel oil, fuel gas, carbonized substance and steel wire residues while the fuel oil and gas are for general use and part of which can be recovered for use in a thermal decomposition furnace, the ash residues have to be separately buried or magnetically separated to separate out the iron wire with the remaining carbonized substance after pulverization and granulation to produce low grade carbon black for use as packings in the tyre manufacture. Although such a process can have a considerable result in the recovery of resources for reuse and can also reduce the problem of secondary public nuisance in smoke elimination, equipments and the processing system are far from being ideal and the process works by batch only. Operation can be disintegrated and not continuous, and the procedures can be redundant and can result in the wastage of energy resources. The method is much in need for improvement.
Japanese Patent Application No. Showa 58-25384 discloses a method and device whereby waste tyres are thrown directly into an incinerator for combustion, and the gases formed are led out from a smoke outlet. The carbonized substances are recovered via a pipeline while on the other hand, the melted fluid is recovered from the bottom of the incinerator as fuel. This direct and open type incineration method results, however, in the secondary public nuisance of stinking smell and black smoke.
On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,791 teaches a process of splitting decomposition and oil treatment of thermoplastic high molecular compounds and heating hydraulic separation of non-hydrolyzable waste plastics.
However, none of the above cited prior references is involved in the process or system for recovering activated carbon from rubber of any waste tyres or discloses a precise device for possibly recovering activated carbon from the waste tyres; still further, no suggestion has been made that would affect improved method or device in batch splitting decomposition manner for processing the production energy.